The May 2012 Mid-county Memo is posted online. A recap of its contents:

Last month, the top three mayoral candidates debated at David Douglas High School’s Howard Horner Performing Arts Center; the new Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative areas are approved; Parkrose School District averts a teacher’s strike; David Douglas special education teacher Annie Harrell is named Outstanding Teacher of the Year; Lee Perlman interviews City Commissioner Amanda Fritz and opponent, state Rep. Mary Nolan; the Planning and Sustainability Commission endorsed the Outer Powell Conceptual Design Plan; since 2006, east Portland neighborhood associations have been operating illegally; the Portland Housing Bureau is changing tax abatement area boundaries in east Portland … again; and, longtime Gateway hairstylist June Bauer’s obituary.

Editor’s note: The 2012 elections are a watershed moment in city politics. For the first time in decades, with the mayor declining to run for re-election, Randy Leonard retiring from his council seat, and incumbent commissioner Amanda Fritz facing a serious challenge, there will be at least two, if not three new faces at City council. Veteran beat reporter Lee Perlman interviewed the major mayoral and city council candidates. In this post, mayoral candidate Eileen Brady is interviewed.

Gateway Elks Lodge selects a teenager from our community each month during the school year to receive Teenager of the Month honors. The winner of this award is chosen from applications from local high school teenagers who strive to make a difference in their school and community. At the end of the school year Gateway Elks Lodge will recognize one of the monthly winners as Teenager of the Year.

Vanessa Harris, Gateway Elks Teenager of the Month. COURTESY SONNY SAECHAO

The Portland Police Bureau’s Missing Persons Unit asks for help from the public in locating 16-year-old Kalpana Wagley, a recent Bhutanese refugee, missing since last Friday.

Kalpana Wagley, left, a 16-year-old David Douglas High School student seen here at a 2010 soccer clinic, was reported missing Friday. Mid-county Memo photo/Tim Curran

Wagley is described as a female Nepalese, five feet eight inches tall, and 104 pounds, with mid-back length black hair. Kalpana was last seen wearing knee-length, cut-off blue jeans, dark brown ski-type boots, and a black vest under a white jacket.

Football
Despite a conference record of 1-4, the David Douglas Scots took advantage of play-in game defeating North Medford 20-6 to advance to the 6-A state tournament. They beat West Linn 17-14, but were ousted by Oregon City 28-18 the following week.

David Douglas was upended Round 2 of the 2011 OSAA 6A Football State Championships. Oregonian photo/Jessika Brandt

Parkrose finished the season 3-5 to qualify for a state tournament play-in game against PIL champs, Jefferson. The Democrats prevailed 36-19, bringing the Bronco season to an end on a cold, wet and rainy night. Zach Abney, Quame Adams, Jonathan Boland, Marquis Hammick, Jerry Hunter, Thomas Lott and Henry Vy earned Northwest Oregon Conference honorable mention honors.

Parents, students, and community members are encouraged to join the David Douglas Wellness Committee.

The committee helps to make recommendations, share resources and provide oversight of the district’s wellness programs related to student health, ensuring that all students have access to healthy food choices and resources for physical activity.

David Douglas School District Wellness Coordinator Stephanie Manfre, right, asks for volunteers for the David Douglas Wellness Committee, dedicated to bringing healthy food to David Douglas students. Nell Tessman, left, is a Health Educator for the Multnomah County Health Department’s Healthy Active Schools Program and Jodi Taylor, center, is Nutritional Services Manager for the district.

You want to hold public office and represent, among others, the people of east Portland. Well, Democrat Jefferson Smith thinks there are some things you should know.

That is why, last month, District 47’s State Representative Smith — who has not ruled out a run for Portland’s Mayor himself — organized a pair of guided tours of the area, and invited candidates — whose jurisdictions if elected would include the area — to learn about it and the issues people who live there face every day. The response was considerably less than universal, but the following people showed up for the two tours: Portland Commissioner Amanda Fritz and a challenger for her seat, State Representative Mary Nolan; Multnomah County Commissioner Diane McKeel, and Alissa Keny-Guyer, who is running to earn the appointment for the remaining term of House District 46, recently vacated by Ben Cannon; State Representative Lew Frederick; Multnomah County District Attorney candidate Kellie Johnson; and Metro Council candidate Bob Stacey.

The September issue of the Mid-county Memo posted online. A re-cap of its content follows …

Proposed changes at Glendoveer Golf Course and Fitness Trail is this month’s main front page feature story. Glendoveer lovers and government haters showed up en masse for the heated open house last month.

Lee Perlman pens a piece about east Portland tours conducted by Oregon State Rep. Jefferson Smith (D) for candidates for City office is the subject of the second story on this month’s front page. Smith took candidates on a tour of east Portland low-lights, highlighting the decades of City neglect for Mid-county.

Jodi Taylor is nutritional services manager for the David Douglas School District. She is responsible for planning nutritional, healthy and tasty meals for over 10,000 students— three quarters whom receive free or reduced lunch — on tight budgets in 10 elementary schools, three middle and two high schools buildings never designed to hold such numbers. How does she do it?

The lunch lady gets a bad rap. Kids criticize cafeteria food for everything from its looks to ‘that’s not how mom makes it at home…’ Parents scrutinize the nutritional content of corn dogs. Administrators weigh headaches of implementation. In addition, they all take it out on the lunch lady.

The June issue of the Mid-county Memo is posted online. A re-cap of its content follows …

This month’s issue has feature stories about new school gardens at two Mid-county elementary schools. The first at Shaver Elementary in the Parkrose School District, the other at Mill Park Elementary School in the David Douglas School District.

An update on the close Parkrose High School bond vote held in May.

This month’s edition also has a feature story on how David Douglas High School’s music program won a Grammy Gold Signature Award — that included a $5,500 cash prize — given annually to high schools with outstanding music programs.